SEVENTEEN | Cheers

Most everyone was excited to get back to the states, but I wasn’t ready to leave. Only a handful of us shared the same sentiment. Being abroad was like a dream come true. We explored places we thought we would only see in pictures. We forged beautiful friendships with a group of very different people. We learned about ourselves and grew so much in the past few weeks. Why would I want to leave when there’s still so much to do and experience?

But alas, today is day I fly home.

We woke up multiple times throughout the morning – from 6:20am to 12:00pm. One by one, we hugged and said goodbye to our friends as they caught an Uber or the tube to the airport. It was finally our turn at noon. Me and two other friends shared an Uber to Heathrow. And throughout the entire ride I kept thinking about this summer.

Even though I’m not ready to go home, I feel like this is the right moment to go. I still clearly remember my first day: the anxiety, the fear, the curiosity for what’s to come. It felt like a new chapter was opening and there was a stack of blank pages waiting for me to fill them with memories and adventures.

I’m happy to say there’s a lot in those pages now. Learning how to navigate Paris. Getting lost in Berlin, both physically and spiritually, and discovering a new sense of self. Hiking up mountains in Austria to the Sound of Music. Viva mi vida in Barcelona. Having heart to hearts with friends in Brussels. Doing the unexpected in London like buying tickets to Kinky Boots an hour before and waiting for five and an half hours for tickets to Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. All along the way, laughter, friendship, and pure happiness filled each and every day. I’m grateful to have the past few weeks with me for the rest of my life. I’m not ready to go home, but I’m happy to end this chapter on such a great note. We all have new friends and adventures waiting for us when we get back. I can’t wait.